Inlet valves for gasoline or diesel pumps are known as such. Such valves generally comprise a fuel inlet opening and a tappet which can close said inlet opening. Furthermore, an actuator which can move the tappet to and fro is customarily provided. In the known valves, the actuator and the tappet are fixedly connected to each other.
A particular disadvantage of this design is that actuator movements which have a component transverse with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tappet lead to the tappet also executing transverse movements. This can lead in particular to the tappet no longer being able to completely close the inlet opening, since said tappet sits obliquely in a corresponding valve seat. This can lead in this respect to a higher leakage rate.